War and Colony. Empathy and Ambivalence in the Setting of Mario Tobino’s Libya

This paper examines the literary portrayal of Italian medical officers in Libya during World War II and their colonial interactions with the local population, as depicted in Mario Tobino’s largely autobiographical novel Il deserto della Libia (1952). The study views literary production as an artistic manifestation closely tied to the societal needs of its era. In the post-World War II period, the myth of “italiani brava gente” reshapes the national image. Processes of erasing collective memory regarding war responsibilities, fascism, and colonial past occur. Consequently, the Italian post-war literary discourse displays a victimization narrative regarding war responsibility. A similar ambivalent tendency characterizes the approach towards ex-colonial Otherness, where openness coexists with the perpetuation of stereotypes. Tobino’s imagery reflects these features. On one side, the reflections about war and death provide both criticism and sympathy due to an “unwanted war” in which Italians would have been inert victims. On the other side, the relationship between the Italian protagonist Marcello and the Libyan nobleman Mahmud embodies formal friendship alongside unspoken oppression and latent hostility. The nuanced national portrayal displays a tendency toward absolution, primarily through the paradigms of “insanity” and “victimhood”. In conclusion, by illustrating the literary representation of wartime and colonial past within the socio-historical context, the analyzed case study shed light on a problematic issue. Regardless of individual ethical beliefs, an inherently self-absolving narrative and colonial imbalance set the boundaries for questioning Italian colonial and war experiences.